Improvement in electro-medical apparatus



R. w. -HATHAWAY. ELECTRO MEDICAL APPARATUS.

No.171,934. P'AAenAeaJAn.11,1a7s.

EPSTS. FRQTO-UTHOGHAHER. WASHINGTON. D CA l WAY, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and vfully described in the following specification, l reference bein ghad to theaccompanying drawment ot' the battery andswitches; Fig. 2, a

, rangement of wires; and Eig. 3, a rear View lar portions ot' the p erson has been attended sits comfortably in a chair, and I am enabled UNITED STATES# PATENT ,Orrrcnv 'RICHARD vv. HATHAWAY, oF-cH'IoAGQTLL'INoIs'.,

IMPRovEMEN-T |NELECFRQM'EDICAL APPARATUS- Specification formingpart of Letters Pa To all whom it may 'concern Be it known that I, RICHARD W. EMEA-- State of Illinois, have invented an Improvement inv Electro-Medical' Apparatus, which is ings, in which- Figure l represents a side view of a chair with my apparatus attached, one sidebeing partially broken away to show the arrange-- p lan view of thechair, the seatand back being broken away toshow the battery and arovt' the lower part of the chair, showing. the battery and devices' for changing the electrical' currents. 'l The object of my invention is to provide a simple and convenient apparatus for the transmission of electrical currentsth rough all parts of the human body, and in different directions.' The invention consists in a chair or other article of furniture provided with suitable bat-l tery, wires, and switches forthe transmission of currents of electricity through di'e-rent parts ot' the body of the patient sitting therein, the currents being under the control of the attendant, so as to be sent first in one direction and then the other, as hereinafter described.

rlhe passage of electrical currents from a battery through the entire body-of a person is accomplished without any serious diiiculty; but the special application of electricity to particuheretofore with great inconvenience. So far as known to me it has never been done without removing the clothing of the patient and applying by means of a sponge or other like substance moved about so as to be placed upon different parts of the body. In the use of my apparatus it is only necessary that the hands and feet should be bared, the patient to pass the currents' of electricity through parts of the body not attainable heretofore.

In the drawings, A represents a chair ot' ordinary construction, beneath the seat of which is placed a case, B, the base-board ot which extends forward, so as to form a foot-rest in front of the chair, as clearly seen in Figs. 1

application tiled -In the rear ot' the case B is placed a helix,.C, y

and -the ordinary attachments'of `anelectromagnetic machine, and in convenient proximity -thereto are placed two switch-posts, D and D', the former ot' whichy is connected by a suitable wire with the positive pole of theelectricalapparatus, and the latter in the sameway with the negative pole. To these posts are pivoted metallic plates or switches d d. The crosspiece B in the rear portion of the case B supports both .the'lielixand `switch-posts', and'at the rear edge of this board are placed eight small metallic posts, c c c c= and c -cc c', the Aformer ot' which:being 'so situatedthat the switch-armd may be brought into contact with either one o-r two .of-them, as may be de- Vsired,.iand the latter located in the same relation-to the switch-arm d. c The four posts c are connected, respecti\v'ely,with the disks b b-on the foot-board, and the plates a a upon the arms of the chair by means ot'ordinary insulated wires c", and the posts c are also connected, by similariwires c, with the saine disks and plates, respectively. Now, it' a current of electricity is passed from a battery through the helix, it will be seen that by means of the switches, posts o c', and wires o and o a current of either positive or negative electricity may be sent to any 011e of the plates a a and disks b b.

Any suitable battery may be used for this purpose; but I prefer Kidders tilting cup, as it is more readily thrown in and out of action by a mechanical contrivancc which I have devised, but have not shown in this application.

The letters P and N in the upper line indicate the nature ot the current passing through the posts above the plates when the switch is upon any one or more of them as positive or negative. The letters R and L indicate right and left, respectively, and the letters F and H .indicate a toot or hand, respectively.

It' it is desired to send a current of positive electricity to the rightfoot the switch d, which is in connection with the positive pole of the electrical machine, is turned until brought into contact with the post upon the extreme left, or immediately over the column of letters P ,i R.F,`asseen in Fig. 3, andso onfor the other y foot and `each hand, and "withfeither positive `or negative currents, according as the switches d or d are used. If, now, the switch dels brought into contact with the post on the exl treme left,`and the switchyd' `is placed in con-y` i tact `with the firstpost on the `left of those larked c', it will be seen that a complete electrical` circuit `will be e established,and `as currents `of electricity always take the shortest route, when the switches are thus placed the current entering the body at the right floot` will `pass up the right limb, crosswthrough the pel#` vis `to the left, and, passing down this limb,` i leave the body at the left foot.` If, now, the l switches be changed by setting them one post to -the right, the direction of the currentwil1 be l instantaneously changed, thepositive pole bet l L ing now brought into connection with the disk Uupon which the left foot rests, so that the current will enter the body at` the left 'foot and pass through, as before, but inthe opposite direction; In a similar way, the proper connection being made, the current of electricity may mbe :caused to enter the body^of either hand,

passup one arm, cross the thorax tothe other arm,and leave thelbody bythe opposite hand.

If theswi'tches are placed sombat one will rest `upon -both 4foot-posts olroue-"side, and 'theother rest upon bothjhand-p'osts ofthe l other,the ourrentlwill enter either `by both hands,pass through the entire body, and out `by the feet, or,the switches being changed, it

will enter at the feet-and pass out at the hands.

In 1 this Way I am `enabled topass currents l readily through different parts ofthe body and reverse them at pleasure, and at the same time I am enabled to pass a current through the pelvic portion of the body, which, heretofore, it has been almost impossible toreach.`

Although I have shown my apparatus :ap-z plied to a' chair,itwill be seen that it can also g be readily attached `to other articles of ifurniture, such, for instance, as a lounge, a bed, or

even a bathing-tub.

and wires.

2. The combination, substantially .fisica` scribed, ofthe hand-plates a, footdisksb,wires c c7, and posts c c', asfand forthe purposes` set forth.

3. The combination, substantially `as"``de` scribed, of the posts c c', vibrating arms or .1 plates d d', and posts D D',\connected by wires., e "1 with the poles of the battery, as and forthe.

purposes set forth.

4. e The combination, substantiallyfas del` scribed, `of the hand-plates` a a, footdisks` b b, conducting-wires oc",`and"a switch attach-1 nient, as and for the purposes set forth@` 5; The chair A,1provided`with`theelectrical .e attachment herein described, for use as an elec-` l tro-medical apparatus, `substantially asxdescribed.

RIGHARDWJHATHAWAY, l 

